1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feeding apparatus with a replaceable bottle for feeding a patient who has a surgically created stoma in the stomach or elsewhere in the digestive tract.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Patients who have undergone surgical procedures such as percutaneous, endoscopic or gastrostomy must be fed through a tube which is inserted into the patient's stomach or gastrointestinal (G.I.) tract. Feeding is accomplished by attaching a feeding apparatus to the inserted tube. Currently, two types of feeding apparatus are commonly used. One type generally comprises a collapsible plastic bag, similar to an I.V. bag. The bag is purchased filled with previously prepared, liquified food. The attached bag is placed above the patient and the liquified food is delivered by the force of gravity. A vacuum collapses the bag as the food exits therefrom. When the bag is empty, it is disconnected from the G.I. tube and disposed. However, the bag apparatus does not adequately deliver liquids of significant viscosity. Thus, the additional necessary viscous nutritional substances must be administered directly into the G.I. tube with a 60 c.c. syringe. This procedure is time-consuming as it must be repeated approximately 5 to 6 times per feeding. Also, this procedure must usually be performed by a nurse as it requires more effort than many patients are able to exert.
The second type of feeding apparatus delivers the liquified food from a bottle by means of a suction air pump. This apparatus is better than the bag in that it provides the patient with the ability to prepare a varying range of liquified foods. Thus, the patient can maintain a more balanced diet. However, the pump is noisy, expensive to rent, and not sufficiently portable.
Examples of previous patents for feeding devices include the following. U.S. Pat. No. 216,734, issued on Jun. 24, 1879, to Simon W. France, discloses a nursing-bottle into which air is admitted when a baby sucks milk out of the bottle through a nipple. U.S. Pat. No. 244,181, issued on Jul. 12, 1881, to Willard C. Carpenter, discloses a regulator for nursing-bottles which controls the amount of milk that a child sucks out of a bottle. U.S. Pat. No. 347,018, issued on Aug. 10, 1886, to Walter F. Ware, discloses a nursing bottle with a one-way valve that permits air to flow into the bottle as milk is sucked out. The instant invention is distinguishable from the foregoing inventions in that it is a device for supplying food directly into the G.I. tract, rather than through the patient's mouth. Also, the food is moved by gravity, rather than by suction.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,438,899, issued on Dec. 12, 1922, to Louis T. Cassidy, discloses a surgical appliance being an insulated vacuum bottle within which a liquid can be kept warm, with an outlet for the liquid, and an inlet for air to replace the liquid as it flows out. The instant invention is distinguishable in that it is designed to be permanently hung upside down. Also the present invention has an air inlet tube connected to the cap which extends upward to above the level of the fluid in the feeding bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,687,004, issued on Oct. 9, 1928, to Marie Briggs, discloses a nursing bottle cover and nipple support which may be placed over a nursing bottle and tied on with a cord. The present invention is distinguishable in that it does not operate by suction. The cover of the instant invention is distinguishable in that it has peel-off strips by which it may be tied on the feeding bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,493,380, issued on Jan. 3, 1950, to Theodore Bailey, discloses a thermally insulated nursing bottle which is reinforced with internal ribs. The instant invention is distinguishable in that it has external tubes through which food can flow out and air can flow in, with separate holes for the tubes, and it does not operate by suction.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,827,081, issued on Mar. 18, 1958, to Robert C. Little, discloses a parenteral fluid dispenser, having a hole for a tube for liquid to flow out of to the patient, and a hole for an air inlet. The instant invention is distinguishable in that it has a tube connected to the air inlet that extends upward to above the level of the fluid in the feeding bottle. Also, the Little patent is directed towards apparatus for injecting I.V. solutions, not towards apparatus for feeding.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,860, issued on Aug. 17, 1965, to Raymond W. Barton, Thomas A. Benjamin and Joe T. Herron, discloses a disposable nurser with a plurality of nipples and a filling apparatus for it. The instant invention is distinguishable as it is designed for long term use, does not include nipples and does not operate by suction.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,597, issued on Nov. 9, 1976, to Raymond W. Barton, discloses a container and gavage tube adapter with a vent for letting in air, for feeding a patient through the nose. The design of the Barton invention only permits the use of a liquid having a single, predetermined consistency. The instant invention is distinguishable in that it can be used in conjunction with a wide range of liquified foods of varying consistencies and viscosities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,959, issued on Dec. 10, 1985, to Georg Kuehlin and Ernst Gerlach, discloses multilayer medical working means for containing or transporting a physiological material, which, unlike the instant invention, is not designed for feeding.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,580, issued on Oct. 30, 1990, to John J. Turner and Mary J.A. Turner, discloses an oral feeding appliance including a container and a tube from the container to a nipple to be placed in the patient's mouth. The instant invention is distinguishable in that it is designed to feed a patient through a surgically created opening in the gastrointestinal tract rather than through the mouth. Also, it does not require the use of pumps.
Therefore, a need exists for an easy-to-use and inexpensive apparatus for delivering nutritional liquids of various viscosities directly into a patient's G.I. tract. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.